Saturday, January 17, 2009

German Medium Landship – Das Eisen Biest

The success of the British landships along with their ease of manufacturing (compared to walkers) made the Germans design their own version of a landship referred to as the Eisen Platten Land Schiff Mark I.

The name was quickly shortened to Das Eisen Biest. (The Iron Beast). It was considerably larger than the British vehicles with heavier armor, a medium gun in the hull and light gun plus a machinegun in a rotating turret. The extra armor and guns added drastically to the weight which required adding a second engine (one to drive each track).

Even then it was still slower than its lighter British opponents. This was offset by the heavier frontal gun and the ability of the turret to rotate to face an enemy without having to turn the whole vehicle.

Offering extra protection to its crew of 5 the Iron Beast could also carry a small unit of armed troops inside the spacious hull. This capability offered a new aspect to the tactical possibilities of the vehicle which the Germans have quickly adopted. Even with the high level of quality that the Germans put into everything they create the vehicle still has a tendency to breakdown at the most unexpected times.

German efficiency however, gets the machine back up and running quickly even in battle conditions. So far the machine has been tested only against native opponents and has yet to face an enemy its equal. As the German military force on Mars continues to expand and British eyes are turned toward the revolt in Shastapsh this opportunity may come sooner than anyone thinks.

How it was built: Do you recognize the basic vehicle?? No? Ah, come on! It’s the body of an Imperial AT-AT from Star Wars! It was taken from a kit made by AMT (from Ebay of course). The turret is actually one of the feet! I added blocks of wood underneath to represent tracks and all sorts of styrene pieces on the outside for tanks, stacks, guns, panels etc.. I just kept adding stuff till it looked “right” Black paint, a quick dry brush, and the spots of Rust (Martian Soil) finished it off.

About Me

I'm a high school history and journalism teacher, a career I've loved and continued to enjoy. Aside from my family I have several passions-miniature wargaming, movies, books and music. I'm also a died in the wool Mariners fan and baseball lover.